Description
The China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) 12150L is a water-cooled, four-cycle, direct injection V12 diesel engine which is installed in the Type 59 MBT, although it is also suitable for installation in other armoured vehicles, engineer vehicles and for marine applications. This is a copy of the Russian V-54 diesel engine.
Variant
A more powerful version of this is designated the Type 12150L-7BW which develops 580 hp at 2,000 rpm.This is known to be installed in the Type 69 MBT, Type 84 AVLB, Type 653 ARV and the Type 80 twin 57 mm SPAAG.
Status
Production as required. The 12150L is installed in the Type 59 MBT while the 12150L-7BW is installed in the Type 69 MBT. It is understood that neither of these MBTs are currently in production although they remain in service with many countries. Known users of the Type 59 include Albania, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Iraq, Korea (North), Pakistan, Sudan, Tanzania, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Users of the Type 69 include Bangladesh, China, Iran, Iraq, Myanmar, Pakistan, Thailand and Zimbabwe.
